Today is a national holiday in Sierra Leone as the nation commemorates Armed Forces Day

Today, 18th February is set aside as a national public holiday to commemorate and appreciate our Armed Forces who fought in the second world war and 11 years of civil war in Sierra Leone.

On the 18th of February 2002, the late former president Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah declared in his solemn voice in Krio that the “war don don” – “the war is over” and that henceforth, 18th of February shall be a national public holiday in commemoration of the fearless efforts of the country’s Armed Forces in the various wars to uphold peace and democracy.

We remember this statement in Krio: “war don don”, though regrettably, many Sierra Leoneans are quick to forget.

Over 200,000 Sierra Leoneans died in the senseless ten year civil war that left 5,000 people amputated by drugged up power-drunk rebels between 1991 and 2001.

Sierra Leone is yet to fully recover from the effects of the war, especially the youth, many of whom have been psychologically scarred for life.

Rest in perpetual peace – late Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. You did a good job and registered your good name on the annals or sands of Sierra Leone’s history.

Source credit: Osman Ndoyia Battullo Kokofele

LEST WE FORGET ALSO: JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED:

Remember those dawn raids in September 2018 on marijuana farms in Matebor and Masengbeh villages around Mile 91? I’m wondering what the outcome was of investigations into the shooting dead, allegedly by police, of a 29-year-old man during those raids. The police also said huge quantities of ganja were seized. What happened to them?

How about those two men killed a few months ago in Sahn Malen – allegedly by soldiers? Any probe into that as well? With recent disturbing videos of incidents around Ferry Junction involving the police, one can only hope that our forces are held to account. Civilian lives matter too (Umaru Fofana).